When does tetanus occur?

Written by Xu Jun Hui
General Surgery
Updated on March 17, 2025
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Tetanus is an infection caused by the invasion of the body by Clostridium tetani. Clostridium tetani is an anaerobic bacterium and an opportunistic pathogen, which is likely to cause tetanus in conditions such as anaerobic environments, deep wounds, or heavily contaminated wounds. Therefore, in cases where wounds are relatively small yet deep, and are considered to be in an anaerobic environment, or are contaminated with rust or soil, or in situations such as open fractures, blast injuries, gunshot wounds, and animal bites, tetanus injection treatment is necessary. It is generally recommended to administer the injection within 24 hours, and a skin test should be conducted before the injection, with alcohol consumption prohibited.

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Written by Li Jin Quan
General Surgery
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Does tetanus cause fever?

When tetanus occurs, early symptoms mainly include dizziness, headache, fatigue, decreased appetite, weak chewing, sore jaw muscles, or tense facial muscles. Some cases show exaggerated reflexes or muscle tension. Generally, tetanus has its typical manifestations, such as difficulty in opening the mouth, risus sardonicus (a sardonic smile), opisthotonus (arching of the back), and stiff neck. In clinical practice, a few cases may even have a fever. Therefore, fever in tetanus is only seen in individual cases.

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Written by Li Jin Quan
General Surgery
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How long is a tetanus shot effective?

Tetanus generally refers to a specific type of infection caused by the entry of tetanus bacillus into the body through broken skin or mucous membranes, where it produces a large amount of toxin. Typically, the incubation period for tetanus is 6 to 7 days, but it can be as short as within 24 hours or as long as several months or even years. Therefore, if there is a wound, the first thing to do is to clean the wound with hydrogen peroxide or saline. Then, it is best to go to the hospital to get a tetanus vaccine within 24 hours. If the tetanus vaccine is not administered within 24 hours, it can still be effective if given within a week.

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Written by Zhang Peng
General Surgery
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What are the circumstances in which a tetanus shot should not be administered?

Tetanus is a strict anaerobic bacterium. Clinically, for deeper contaminated wounds, especially those contaminated by soil or punctured by rusty iron objects, an active injection of tetanus vaccine is recommended. Generally, for superficial scratches or clean and shallow wounds, as long as proper wound cleaning is performed, it is usually not necessary to administer a tetanus shot. For patients who have completed a full course of immunization or booster immunization within the last ten years and have high antibody levels in the body, if the wound is small, superficial, and free of foreign bodies or necrotic tissue residue, it is not necessary to inject the tetanus vaccine. For wounds that are larger, deeper, and heavily contaminated, with substantial residues of foreign bodies and necrotic tissue, or in cases where thorough wound cleaning is not achievable, an enhanced injection of tetanus antitoxin or immunoglobulin should be administered.

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Written by Zhang Da Wei
General Surgery
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How long is a tetanus shot effective?

It is definitely better to get a tetanus shot as soon as possible, ideally within 24 hours after injury, as the chance of prevention is much higher compared to other times. Once an injury occurs, it is essential to go to a formal hospital for wound treatment, and then use disinfectant products, typically hydrogen peroxide or iodophor, to assist in disinfection. Generally, for open wounds, stitching may be necessary, but such wounds should generally not be bandaged because bandaging can lead to anaerobic bacterial infection. Since the incubation period for Clostridium tetani, the bacterium that causes tetanus, is five to seven days, an infection could potentially develop during this time. Therefore, it is advisable to get vaccinated against tetanus infection within a week. If this timeframe is exceeded, it might impact the effectiveness of the preventative measure, thus rendering it significantly less meaningful.

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Written by Li Jin Quan
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Can tetanus be treated?

Tetanus is a specific infection caused by toxins produced by the bacterium Clostridium tetani in the human body. If treated systematically and without severe complications, the vast majority of tetanus patients can be cured. Whenever there is a wound, it should be cleaned with hydrogen peroxide or saline and the patient should go to the hospital as soon as possible for a tetanus vaccine injection. If tetanus occurs, it is imperative to seek timely treatment at a hospital. Most tetanus patients exhibit muscle tension and rigidity, such as risus sardonicus, difficulty opening the mouth, neck stiffness, and opisthotonus. In severe cases, respiratory arrest or difficulty breathing may occur. Therefore, tetanus patients, as long as they go to the hospital for early treatment, the vast majority can be cured.